Justice First is a registered charity which helps people in the Tees Valley who are seeking asylum. It helps those whose appeals have been rejected to re-engage with the legal system, and offers advice, information, casework support, and a friendly and welcoming environment. Around 500-600 people are assisted each year.

The charity has been offered a three-year grant of £5,000 pa in June 2016. The funding will support the core running costs of Justice First, and enable it to continue supporting asylum seekers. Overall aims are to increase the support offered to individuals, increase the awareness-raising activities run, and reduce the stress and isolation felt by clients, thus improving their well-being.

Women’s Breakout is a national umbrella organisation which represents projects working with women who have offended and those at risk of offending. It aims to understand the needs and aspirations of the member organisations and develop tools and deliver support to reflect their priorities; and also to act as a strong voice and advocate on their behalf to influence policy making around women in the criminal justice system and how they are affected.

In June 2016, the Foundation awarded a two-year grant totalling £15,000 towards the salary of the Communications and Administration worker. Over the period of the grant, Women’s Breakout intends to continue to provide regular targetted communications with its membership, and fully represent groups and issues relating to women, within the sector.

This organisation works across Scotland to support a network of 340 therapeutic gardening projects and practitioners. It helps projects as they become established, and with their development. The charity offers site visits, advice and information, and runs a variety of network meetings where members can share good practice and new ideas.

In June 2016, Trellis was awarded a two-year grant (£5,000 and £4,900) which will be put towards a project with the Scottish Prison Service.

Trellis aims to increase the availability of therapeutic gardening for people across all Scotland’s 15 prisons and is planning a series of knowledge and training sessions to help with the development of the project. The aim is to build new links between prisons and their local communities, increase the number of people who benefit, provide support to practitioners including prison officers who deliver the gardening activity programmes, and increase learning for individuals who take part.

This organisation is based in Swansea, and works with the LGBT community
across Wales. It provides advice and support, raises awareness, and
provides assistance around hate crime.

Over the past few years, Unity Group had been seeing increasing numbers
of LGBT asylum seekers coming to the centre in Swansea for support. In
response, it set up a dedicated group called ‘No Going Back’, which now
meets regularly. The Foundation awarded £3,500 towards the volunteer
costs, and general running costs of this group. Volunteers help with
practical assistance, access to immigration legal advisors, social and
cultural support, and regular drop-in sessions. The intention is to
help asylum seekers as they move through the asylum system, improve
people’s wellbeing and mental health, and help people integrate into the
community

This is a not-for-profit organisation in Worthing, Sussex. It works with different groups and projects and uses gardening therapy to bring about positive benefits for participants. It has specialised in working with older people, and people with dementia, and runs regular gardening clubs for different groups in and around Worthing.

In June 2016, the Foundation awarded £7,200 towards Breathing Spaces, to enable it to expand its services and offer four new programmes of work. These include a ‘Friends of the Allotment’ group which will work with residents from a local social housing estate; plus three new weekly gardening sessions working with specific groups (refugees and asylum seekers; people with mental health issues; and women who are victims of domestic abuse). Over the next year or so, the expanded services will benefit more than 30 people – through improving self-esteem and increasing their feelings of belonging and positive connection with others.

This group is based in Nelson in the North West, and aims to provide support and activities for older people. It also acts as a platform for people to express their views and concerns, and aims to influence providers of services accordingly.

The Forum received £500 from the Foundation in June 2016. The grant will enable a series of regular exercise and keep fit sessions which are intended to reduce the health risks of older people. Around 30 people will benefit.

LGBT Lincs is a constituted group which aims to provide support to parents who have children who identify as LGBTQ. It is based in Lincolnshire and organises regular meetings for parents to meet up together with others in a similar situation, to share experiences and provide mutual support.

The Foundation offered a grant of £886 in June 2016 towards the running costs of the group. Over the next year the group aims to expand and run meeting in different parts of the county, increase the numbers of parents and children supported, and also promote awareness of LGBT issues locally.

This is a relatively new organisation, based in West Yorkshire, which aims to help victims of human trafficking. It works in partnership with other organisations to raise awareness of, and provide support to, people who have been trafficked.

The Foundation has made a two-year grant of £5,200 pa at the June 2016 meeting of Trustees. The grant will contribute towards running costs of the organisation, including costs relating to running a House of Safety for victims.

This CAB is based in Kirkham in Lancashire and benefits people living in and around the Bor-ough of Fylde. It provides advice and information across a whole range of areas, similar to many other CABs across the UK.

In June 2016, Allen Lane made a grant of £7,075 towards developing new work around support-ing victims of domestic abuse – ‘The Rosemary Project’. The funding will allow for around half the budget of the project, and enable the Bureau to employ a dedicated caseworker, training, and related costs of the additional service. It is envisaged that around 25 people a year will receive complex casework support, and another 75 will benefit from additional help and support around issues with domestic abuse.